Below are the ten most expensive fighter jets ever built, ranked by approximate unit cost, with one strategic bomber included as a benchmark outlier.
Fighter Jet
US lawmakers revive the F-35 pitch to Spain after the FCAS collapse, as Madrid weighs Turkey’s KAAN fighter instead.
Poland welcomes its first F-35A Husarz fighters into service, becoming NATO’s first eastern flank fifth-gen operator.
Germany’s first F-35A Lightning II has reached a major production milestone after receiving its Pratt & Whitney F135-PW-100 engine at Lockheed Martin’s facility near Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), Texas.
France and Germany have officially ended the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), a €100 billion European fighter jet program that was once expected to deliver a sixth-generation combat aircraft for European allies by 2040.
Saab unveils the first Gripen F fighter for Brazil, enhancing pilot training, combat readiness, and defence cooperation.
Fighter pilot vs airline pilot pay in 2026: a global salary breakdown covering the US, Europe, Japan, and China.
Two United States Navy EA-18G Growler fighter jets collided during an aerial demonstration at Mountain Home Air Force Base (MUO), Idaho, on May 17, destroying aircraft collectively valued at approximately $136 million.
Airlines across the United States continue competing aggressively for experienced pilots in 2026, especially as military aviators remain among the industry’s most valuable recruits.
Airbus unveils Germany’s first Tranche 4 Eurofighter in Munich with ECRS Mk 1 AESA radar for the Luftwaffe fleet.